The A+ Attack

• Amelie Gilchrist, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2015

TRAVO TROUBLE

By Charlie Gilchrist

FOR CLOKE AND MCDONALD


CHAPTER 1
It was almost half time and the opposition team was up by thirty one points. Travo watched as they kicked another goal to make the margin 37. His opponents gave high fives and stared down Travo as he lurked at centre half forward. He was angry because this was not any old game in the season. It was the state grand finals. The scoreboard showed it was 79 to 116 and he was freaking out. He’d been busting to finally win a grand final. As far as he remembered they hadn’t won one in 11 years straight.
As he watched the ball bounced again. He suddenly looked backwards to find his opponent standing next to another player who had also gone off his man. He looked forward again, the ball came straight to him and he marked it on his chest just before his opponent was about to shove him away. He knew what to do, keeping his eye on the ball, he stopped him from punching the the ball away. And as the umpire helped him up to his feet he looked at the kid who had tried to punch the ball away, who was furious at the way that he had gone off his man! He had been let down by his team mate and best friend and now Travo was walking backwards to have a shot at goal.
He was determined to stop the goal and help his team win the Grand Final, for the 3rd time in a row. As Travo lined up
his kick, moving forward to the fifty metre line. Suddenly the opponent stepped forward and lifted his boot high and kicked Travo in the stomach! The whistle blew and the umpire shouted, “FIFTY METRES!!!”
Travo walked forward as the crowd rumbled with wild sounds of… “AHHHHHHGGGH!!!” and 50,000 people clapping as he kicked the goal to make the margin thirty one. The umpire bounced the ball again and NSW ruckman Nick Ewon (everyone calls him NIKE) tapped it down to Jackson Pain and he kicked it into the fifty. Travo marked the ball, went to the square and booted the ball between the big sticks to put them on a score of Ninety one.
As the ball bounced again, right after Daniel Rock kicked it into the fifty, the siren blew at the second Travo marked the ball!!! Travo went back and again scored the goal. It was half time but they were still losing by nineteen points.
The 3rd quarter started and just like before, Travo continued to dominate. Before you knew it they were in front by twenty-five points in the last term. At the end of the game Travo was taking another shot and it ripped through the middle. Now it was time for the Norm Smith medalist to be announced: “And the winner is… Travis Mcdonald!!!!!”
He couldn’t believe it!!!